Do not retain expertise ​only to overrule it

LAST WEEK I recommended to a prospective client that we not work together. I am not given to saying no to potential revenue, so you may wonder what I was thinking. ​

I have learned, the hard way, not to accept prospective clients who think they know better than I. This is not to say that they don’t know better. They indeed may. Either way, the result will be a compromised project, with both sides taking credit for good outcomes and placing blame for bad ones. I knew that I would inevitably lose money due to endless, needless revisions, and to time spent explaining every choice—only to be overruled anyway.

There’s nothing wrong with telling a chef how you prefer your steak, but don’t presume to tell a chef how cooking should be done. Let the chef chef, or stay home and do your own cooking.